“You can ask me as many questions as you like.”
“If Jumping Joy competes in the Derby, can I come?”
He smiled so big, the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Only if you promise to wear one of those ridiculous hats and we’re married by then.”
My eyes went wide. “Married?”
“Too soon?”
Laughing, I threw myself against him, causing him to fall back onto the blanket. Looking down at the man I loved, I replied, “It’s a deal!”
EPILOGUE
Liam
Two Years Later
It was done.
Life in prison without parole for both Jonathon and David.
I closed my eyes as Mallory squeezed my hand. We had been in that courtroom every day for both trials. Jonathon had been found guilty of eleven counts of murder, and one count of aggravated kidnapping. Plus, he still had the charges of trafficking that would be tried in another trial. He would sit in prison for the rest of his life…and then some.
To me, he got off easy.
They had identified all of the remains, except for one. Emily had been on that list, and even though I had a good idea she would be, it had still hit me hard.
The trials were hell on Mallory when she had to testify about what had happened to her. I hated that it put so much stress on her, especially since she was carrying our first child. Chad and Krista had also been there—although not every day. LeeAnne was two now, and their new baby, Benjamin, was four months old. My brother had changed so much since everything had happened, and we both had grown a lot closer. I couldn’t wait for our kids to grow up with Chad and Krista’s kids.
Mallory, on the other hand, would still sometimes wake up crying out in the middle of the night, overcome by a nightmare. They were few and far between, but had picked up again after she had become pregnant. She was working through it with her therapist, though, and I knew now that since this was all over, she could hopefully start living her life free of the past.
We stood and made our way out of the courtroom after Jonathon was taken away in cuffs. Once we got outside, I said, “It’s over.”
Mallory nodded. “I’m glad. I just wish those poor women—”
“Don’t do that,” I said, cutting off Mallory’s words. “Their deaths are not your fault.”
Mallory gave a soft smile. “I know. I just sometimes wonder why I got away, and they didn’t.”
I drew Mallory in for a hug. “The only thing you need to be thinking about is our baby girl in your stomach. She’ll be here soon, and we still haven’t decided on a wall color for the nursery.”
Mallory laughed. “I never thought I’d see you get so excited about paint color.”
I shrugged as I guided Mallory down a side corridor. With all the press waiting out front, the district attorney had planned for us to leave through a more private exit, for which I was grateful.
“What can I say, I want everything to be perfect for our first baby.”
Looking up at me, Mallory smiled. “It already is perfect.”
As we walked out into the mild September day, I took a deep breath. Life had been beautiful these last two years, but now that the trial was no longer hanging over us, we could truly move on.
And this spring, my girl would get to wear her Derby hat as we watched Rose Ma Bella compete.
Mallory rested her hand on her seven-month-pregnant belly. “I cannot wait to pick out an outfit for the baby!”
“For the Derby?” I asked.
“Yes! I hope we can find a little hat for her.”
